Baku: The international conference on ‘Uniting efforts and enhancing cooperation to address the issue of missing persons,’ organized by Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, took place at the Gulustan Palace as part of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Chief of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan and Chairman of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, Colonel-General Ali Naghiyev, delivered President Ilham Aliyev’s address to the participants. Naghiyev highlighted the objectives and significance of the international event on missing persons, now in its third year. He noted that the State Commission currently has 3,990 people registered as missing, and the remains of 218 individuals believed to belong to them have been discovered and exhumed from 29 mass graves in the liberated territories.
Naghiyev mentioned that as of October 1, 2025, nearly 800 missing persons’ remains have been retrieved from Azerbaijan’s liberated territories. Despite challenges, the State Commission and relevant state agencies conducted search and excavation operations three times in 2025 in the Murovdag mountain range in the Kalbajar district. This area is known for its difficult terrain and severe weather conditions. Naghiyev added that the search process was systematic this year, supported by drone technology, yielding positive results.
The Chief of the State Security Service also emphasized ongoing search and excavation operations in the Agdara district. He announced the discovery of another mass grave, which preliminary data suggests contains the remains of more than 10 Azerbaijani servicemen. Conference participants are scheduled to visit this area as part of the event program.
Director General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), Kathryne Bomberger, addressed the conference, highlighting an increase in missing persons in conflict zones. Bomberger noted that global warming contributes to extreme weather events, such as forest fires and floods, leading to disappearances. She emphasized the importance of cooperation, involving families and inter-agency collaboration, to investigate the fate of missing persons.
Lt. Gen. Giorgio Battisti, President of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL), stressed the importance of understanding the laws of war for military and civilian personnel. He discussed the IIHL’s initiatives over the past 50 years, including addressing the issue of missing persons amid humanitarian crises.
Other notable speakers, including Georgian State Minister Tea Akhvlediani, Turkish Deputy Minister of Justice Hursit Yildirim, former President of Croatia Stjepan Mesic, and Chairman of the Board of the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marko Juric, emphasized that peace cannot exist without addressing the issue of missing persons. They called for a more determined international response to the humanitarian tragedy of missing persons, asserting that the search for missing individuals is a responsibility of all parties, even after a conflict.
Following the conference, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the State Commission of Azerbaijan and the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina.